Electrical fitting



Sept. 28, 1937.

C. W. SHORT ELECTRICAL FITTING Filed Deb. 1'7, 1955 IHHHH IHHHI HHHH 15in the fittings, and such portions of the insulatg O e a o s shellremoved showing the 15 Patented Sept. 28, 1937 ELECTRICAL FITTINGCarleton W. Short, East Providence, R. 1., as-

signor to United States Rubber Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware Application December 17, 1935, Serial No. 54,844

9 Claims. (01. 17s-3e1) This invention relates to electrical fittings,and ferring to the following description and the acparticularly to theconstruction of the cable tercompanying drawing in which: minals and themeans employed for insulating Figure 1 is a top plan view of anelectrical plug the conductor terminals bared for connection embodyingthis invention;

within the fittings. Figure 2 isa cross-section of the plug on line 5This invention may be used in various types of of Fi 1; electricalfittings for making a connection be- F g r 3 is a View P y in sectionillustrating tween the conductors of a lead-in cable and conthe methodof assembling the P P ducting members within the fitting. HeretoforeFigure 4 is an elevational view of a strip the terminal end of thelead-in cable has be n cable terminal illustrating the modified method10 stripped of all of the insulating material around of s pp t conductort rminals in which a the terminals of the conductors for a distanceportion of t e insulating ove is e oved sufilcient to bare theconductors for connection from the end of the cable; and. v to theconducting members, or binding post with- Figure 5 is an interior ViewOf a cube p ing material has been entirely removed from th electricalconnection between the cable terminal cable. In such type ofconstruction no insulating nd the n ctin m m rs Within he other coveringof the cable remained between the bare f Of the S e terminals of theconductors after they were conn embodiment Of th s nv ntion isillustrated nected to the conducting members of the fittings. n s. 1 t 3in reference to an electrical plu Under such conditions short circuitsare liable having a soft r b b y In Which as been to be caused by straystrandsof the bare termlmolded and Vulcanized W P es o med nals crossingover from one terminal to the other. therein for the reception o e cab eH and 0011- Also where soft rubber plug bodies are used the tact membersPrior to assembling these Parts 0 terminals may be brought in contact bythe disin the b y The Contact members y be tortion of the rubber.Furthermore in plugs have er o he e o a e typ but s shown ing the cablepassage terminating with an openin this embodiment they are of the maletype as ing in the face of the plug, the opening is not indicated by theblades ring to Fig. 3, filled 'and this gives the plug a bad appear theconducting elements are assembled in the In accordance with the presentinvention the body n y P in h le I from the rear 30 foregoingdisadvantages of the prior art are obend of the plug through the passageIS in the viated by stripping the cable conductor termi- P y and Ou o hts face l4. The cable nals so that the portion of the cable sheath orcovering m y be made of rubb r or of a rubbercoverin which normallyseparates t conduc like composition and the conductor terminals I5 torsis not removed from the terminal end of maybestripped therefrom either ycutting y 35 the cable. The bare conductor terminals are bent a of hcovering 011 one side of the laterally from the unremoved portion of thecovduct)? as shown in 4 by slitting the coverering and electricallyconnected to the contact mg as shown at in 1 and pulling the members.After the conductor terminals and the minals through the cut 511i; madein the 40 contact members have been assembled in the fiting, but in anyevent the insulating cable cover- 40 ting the unremoved portion of thcovering ing which normally separates the conductors is jects betweenthe laterally projecting conductor not removefi- Another and lessdesirable Way of terminals and serves as an insulator for the barelateliauy brmging the termini? without terminals. The interposedprojecting covering movmg the insulatmg material m which they preventsStray strands of a multi stranded com were embedded is by forciblypulling out laterally 45 ductor terminal from crossing over from oneteri qownwardly the terminal ends so that h mm 91 to the other andcausing short circuits ggilrip through the side walls of the insulation.

ano her less desirable way is to puncture e e fi is m gthe side walls ofthe cable at a suitable distance Proiec ng o e or from its end and thenwithdraw through the 50 P y fills the cable Passage to the face 0f thepunctures the end portions of the conductors ly- Dlllg a d by improvesthe appearance of the ing between the punctures and the cable end.

plug. As shown in Fig. 1 the insulating covering of The above advantagesand other objects of this the cable -II is provided with longitudinalslits invention will be more clearly understood by rel6 which extendinwardly to or adjacent to the conductors i1 and as shown in Fig. 4 someof the covering is removed to provide openings [6. The terminals i5 ofthe conductors are bared by pulling them laterally through the slits l6or openings i6 and are connected to the contact blades i2 so that theconductor-free covering iii in Fig. 2 or l8 in Fig. 4 extends beyond andbetween the laterally extending bared conductor terminals IS. The bladesi2 and the conductor terminals l5 so assembled are inserted respectivelyin the blade recesses i9 and conductor terminal recesses 2i] and areretained in the body ill by the barbs ti on the contact blades i2.

As shown in Fig. 2 the conductor-free portion i8 of the cable coveringextends between and beyond the laterally projecting conductor terminalsl5 and to the end of the cable passage i3 and thereby prevents shortcircuits from being caused by stray strands of the conductor terminalscrossing over from one terminal to the other or bythe conductorterminals being forced in contact with one another by the compression ofthe plug body. The extension of the stripped portion I 8 of the coveringalso fills the end of the passage l3 and gives the face of the plug afinished appearance, but the extension may be.

shortened if desired.

The embodiment of this invention illustrated by the cube tap, or femalefitting shown in Fig. 5 is illustrative of a wide variety of electricalfittings or appliances in which a covered, preferably rubber coveredcable is led through an opening in the wall of a shell and thecurrentcarrying conductors are attached to binding posts 25. In order toillustrate the interior connections the half shell 22 containing thefemale contact members 23 is shown, the other complementary half beingremoved. Each half is provided with complementary half openings 24 forthe reception of the lead-in cable II. The terminals l5 of theconductors are bared as previously described and connected to thebinding posts 25.

The several modifications of this invention have been shown anddescribed in reference to a two conductor cable. It is obvious that theprinciples of this invention are applicable to one or more conductorcables, and it will be understood that changes in details as shown maybe made without departing from the spirit of this invention, and it isintended to cover all of its phases within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. An electrical device having a body provided with conducting members,an electrical cable having an insulating covering and spaced apartconductors therein connected to said members,

' said covering having openings in the end adjacent to said connections,said openings extending longitudinally from said ends for a distance atleast as great as the length of the bare conductor required for makingthe connection with said members, said conductors beingpulled throughsaid .openings and extending laterally toward said members, and saidinsulating covering having said openings therein and all of theconductors removed therefrom extending between and beyond said laterallyprojecting conductors.

2. An electrical device having a body provided with conducting members,an electrical cable having a rubber-like insulating covering and spacedapart conductors therein connected to said members, said covering havingopenings in the end adjacent to said connections, said openingsextending longitudinally from said ends for a distance at least as greatas the length of the bare conductor required for making the connectionwith said members, said conductors being pulled through said openingsand extending laterally toward said members, and said insulatingcovering having said openings therein and all of the conductors removedtherefrom extending between and beyond said laterally projectingconductors.

3. An electrical device having a body provided with conducting members,an electrical cable having a rubber-like insulating covering and spacedapart conductors therein connected to said members, said covering havingnarrow slits in the end adjacent to said connections, said slitsextending longitudinally from said ends for a distance at least as greatas the length of the bare conductor required for making the connectionwith said members, said conductors being pulled through said slits andextending laterally toward said members, and said insulating coveringhaving said slits therein and all of the conductors removed therefromextending between and beyond said laterally projecting conductors.

4. An electrical plug having a preformed body provided with a face andrear end, a bore extending through said body and opening into said rearend and into said face, recesses for contact members extending into saidbody and opening into said face, slots for cable conductor terminalsopening into said face and extending between said passage and saidrecesses, contact members secured in said recesses, an electrical cableextending into said bore, said cable having an insulating covering andspaced apart conductors therein connected to said contact members, saidcovering having openings in the end adjacent to said contact members,said openings in said covering extending longitudinally to the depth ofsaid conductors and rearwardly from the end of said cable, saidconductors being pulled through said openings and extending laterallyfrom said cable through said slots to said contact members, and saidinsulating covering having said openings therein and all of theconductors removed therefrom extending between and beyond said laterallyprojecting conductors.

5. An electrical plug comprising a soft rubber body having a passage ofsubstantially uniform cross-section extending therethrough and contactmembers secured in said body and extending through its face, a cableextending into said passage, said cable having an insulating covercontaining electrical conductors, said cover having I laterally of saidpassage and extending through the face of the plug, a cable having aninsulating cover containing conductors extending into said passage, saidcable cover having its end slitted and the bare ends of the conductorsextending laterally through said slits and connected to said bladesbelow the face of said body, and said slitted portion of said coverextending into said passage between the bare ends of said conductors andilliing a sumcient portion of said passage to prevent contact betweensaid bare ends of said conductors. 7. An electrical plug having apreformed body provided with a face and rear end, a bore extendingthrough said body and opening into said rear end and into said face,recesses for contact members extending into said body and opening intosaid face, slots for cable conductor terminals opening into said faceand extending between said passage and said recesses, contact memberssecured in said recesses, an electrical cable extending into said bore,said cable having an insulating covering and spaced apart conductorstherein connected to said contact members, said covering having openingsin the end adjacent to said contact members, said openings in saidcovering extending longitudinally to the depth of said conductors andrearwardly from the end of said cable, said conductors being pulledthrough said openings and extending laterally from said cable throughsaid slots to said contact members, and said insulating covering havingsaid openings therein and all of the conductors removed therefromextending between and beyond said laterally projecting conductors and tothe end of said bore terminating in the face of said plug.

8. An electrical plug having a preformed body provided with a face andrear end, a bore extending through said body and opening into said 0rear end and into said face, recesses for contact members extending intosaid body and opening into said face, slots for cable conductorterminals opening into said face and extending between said passage andsaid recesses, contact members secured in said recesses, an electricalcable extending into said bore, said cable having a rubber compositioninsulating covering and spaced apart conductors therein connected tosaid contact members, said covering having openings in the end adjacentto said contact members, said openings in said covering extendinglongitudinally to the depth of said conductors and rearwardly from theend of said cable, said conductors being pulled through said openingsand extending laterally from said cable through said slots to saidcontact members, and said insulating covering having said openingstherein and all of the conductors removed therefrom extending betweenand beyond said laterally projecting conductors and to the end of saidbore terminating in the face of said plug.

9. An electrical plug having a preformed soft rubber body provided witha fiat face and rear end, a bore extending through said body and openinginto said rear end and into said face, recesses for contact membersextending into said body and opening into said face, slots for cableconductor terminals opening into said face and extending between saidpassage and said recesses, contact members secured in said recesses, anelectrical cable extending into said bore, said cable having a rubbercomposition insulating covering and spaced apart conductors thereinconnected to said contact members, said covering having narrow slits inthe end adjacent to said contact members, said slits in said coveringextending longitudinally to the depth of said conductors and rearwardlyfrom the end of said cable, said conductors being pulled through saidslits and extending laterally from said cable through said slots to saidcontact members, and said insulating covering having said slits thereinand all of the conductors removed therefrom extending between and beyondsaid laterally projecting conductors and filling the end of said bore tothe face of said plug.

CARLETON W. SHORT.

